You have to wonder about the Newport Beach Film Festival when you’re asked to be a moderator for a Q&A session following a TV show you’ve never heard of, and don’t know anyone involved. Fearing the first question would be, “Who the heck is he and why is he here?,” I politely declined.
All such conundrums aside, the festival seems to be doing well in its 25th year. The opening night film on Oct. 17, “Old Guy,” is not about me but rather an aging contract killer played by Christoph Waltz, who’s forced to train a newbie assassin with an attitude.
The closing night feature on Oct. 24, “A Real Pain,” concerns a mismatched pair of cousins reuniting for a tour of Poland in honor of their grandmother. In between festival goers have their choice of all manner of features, shorts and documentaries.
When I had lunch with actor pal Barry McGovern on a visit to Dublin last year, he told me about a movie he’d recently made in County Donegal. “Blue Fiddle,” which centers on a 10-year-old girl and a cranky old fiddle player, is one of three films from Ireland featured in The International Spotlight this year. Pictures from Germany, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Czechia, and Hong Kong are also on offer.
Of this year’s Centerpiece Films, my pick is “The Piano Lesson” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson and starring Samuel L. Jackson, recreating his Broadway role. The most offbeat movie in this category has to be “Stealing Pulp Fiction,” revolving around a plot to steal Quentin Tarantino’s personal print of the picture. For more information on the festival: https://nbff2024.eventive.org/welcome
Branden Jacob-Jenkins’ “Gloria,” a Pulitzer finalist for Drama—and a must-see for those who enjoy live theater—continues in its OC Premiere at the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills though Oct. 20. Jacob-Jenkins is a playwright who goes for the jugular. But unlike his outrageously provocative “Appropriate,” seen last year in OC, this one takes place in the real world, here and now.
The press release describes “Gloria” as “an adrenaline rush of a show.” Now there’s an understatement. No spoilers, but it’s ostensibly about the cut-throat media industry and the ambitious characters who populate it. In any event this razor-sharp comedy-drama is as compelling a play as I’ve seen this year.
Marya Mazor once again proves her versatility and skill as a director, pulling superb performances from the ensemble cast of six. Audrey Forman and Emma Laird are particularly impressive. Christopher Murillo’s scenic design is a plus. For more information: https://chancetheater.com/production/gloria/?referrer=4
Jacob-Jenkins’ “Everybody,” a modern riff on a fifteenth-century morality play, will be produced at Chapman University in Orange Nov. 1-9. Meanwhile, Aphra Behn’s Restoration comedy, “The Rover,” first performed in 1677, can be seen at Chapman Oct. 11 & 12. And Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” a clever sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classic,continues through Oct. 13 at the Curtis Theatre in Brea.
Photo: Audrey Forman, Emma Laird, Will Martella, and Johnathan Middleton, right to left, in “Gloria” at Chance Theater. Photo by Doug Catiller.
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